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Cyborg 009 (Manga)
Cyborg 009 is a manga series by Shotaro Ishinomori. It was first published on July 19, 1964, and concluded its regular serialization in 1981, with two brief further serializations occurring in 1985 and 1992. It was his first major success, with it introducing manga's first super-powered team. It is notable for its multiple serializations, running through several magazines throughout its run, as well as detailing the effects of war and the relationships between people of different races. The manga was ultimately unfinished due to Ishinomori's death in 1998. However, the ending of the manga was eventually delivered in Cyborg 009: Conclusion GOD'S WAR, based on some of Ishinomori's old drafts for a ninth and final arc that he had never had the chance to write out. This arc is an updating of the earlier and unfinished "Angel" and "Battle with the Gods" storylines that were both intended to serve the same purpose; as the cyborgs' longest and final battle. The manga stands at a total of 36 volumes. Adding the 5 volumes of Conclusion GOD'S WAR completed in 2014, the manga has a total of 41 volumes and has taken 50 years to complete. Story Black Ghost, a terrorist organization bent on starting another World War in order to profit from it, has developed cyborg soldiers to aid in their plans for domination on Earth and in outer space. However, the first nine cyborgs to be developed wind up rebelling against Black Ghost's plans and escape, along with the scientist Isaac Gilmore. These cyborgs, lead by their most advanced model 009, fight against Black Ghost and their attempts to not only kill them but provide warring nations with highly advanced weapons that would cause certain annihilation. After many battles, the Cyborgs confront Black Ghost in the Underground Empire for a final battle. 009 finds himself transported inside a giant statue to fight Black Ghost's figurehead leader Skull, along with his controllers (a set of three brains). With the destruction of Black Ghost, he and the other 00 Cyborgs confront other threats to the world, ranging from terrorists to supernatural beings. Serialization History Weekly Shonen King (Shonen Gahosha, 1964-1965) The series commenced in July 1964's issue 30 with the Birth arc, detailing the cyborgs' origins. The Assassin, Wandering, and Vietnam arcs soon followed, along with Myutos. However, during the run of Myutos , a new editor-in-chief was hired for the magazine and Ishinomori ran into trouble with the editorial department. He was told that the manga would be cancelled soon, the editors citing that the arc was too "confusing" for children to follow. The Myutos arc was thus wrapped up in 1965, with a rushed ending that left the 00 cyborgs' fates uncertain. Ishinomori would write one last story for Weekly Shonen King in the following year, "The Man in the Expensive Castle". This incorporated the change of turning 007 into a young child, which was done to tie into the animated film adaptation that had been released. Oddly, this chapter was later placed before the Vietnam arc in the tankoban compilations. Separate Shonen King (Shonen Gahosha, 1965-1966) While the manga was running regularly in Weekly Shonen King, Separate Shonen King ran a reprinted version of Birth, along with the stories The Golden Lion, The Phantom Dog, Empty War, and The Aurora Strategy. Weekly Shonen Magazine (Kodansha, 1966-1967) Ishinomori continued the series as a regular feature in 1966's issue 27, having to re-introduce the cyborg team with a retconned version of their origin. A few issues later with #30, The Underground Empire '''arc commenced. This arc ended in early 1967, and was intended to be the final storyline. However, due to controversy and emotional outcry over the ending to the arc (which had the presumed deaths of 009 and 002), Ishinomori was soon convinced to resume the manga and retcon the ending, after it moved to the next magazine. A New Type of Bomb (Kodansha, 1966) In a separate Kodansha magazine, Ishinomori rewrote and retold "Empty War", having been unsatisfied with the original story. Adventure King (Akita Shoten, 1967-1969) After the jump to Adventure King in May 1967, the '''Monster Island arc commenced and included the aforementioned retcon of 009 and 002's fates. It was followed by The Middle East, Immigration, The Song of Lorelei, and The Bottom of the Sea. In 1969, Ishinomori opted to end the manga once more with the Angel arc, but various difficulties lead him to leave off on a cliffhanger. The series was then dropped from Adventure King. COM (Mushi, 1969-1970) The Battle with the Gods arc began in October 1969, and was the next attempt at finishing the series. However, due to Ishinomori's writer's block, fan complaints, and other difficulty in continuing the story, this arc cut off on another cliffhanger. The series was then put on hiatus. Short Stories (Various publishers and magazines, 1971-1978) In light of the complications of completing the series, Ishinomori opted to focus on writing several one-shot stories, or much shorter and experimental arcs. These included: *"Cyborg 009 and the 300 Million Yen Criminal" (Medium One, January 1971) *"Dinosaur" (FunKinder TV, March 1972) *"The City of Wind" (Shojo Comic, Shogakukan, 1975 #38) *"The Snow Carnival" (Shojo Comic, Shogakukan, 1976 #8) *"Deinonychus" (Monthly Shonen Jump, Shueisha, June 1976) *"Edda" (Shojo Comic, Shogakukan, #31 to #33, 1976) *"Green Hole" (Play, Akita Shoten, August 1976) *"Mysterious Star" (Adventure King, Akita Shoten, New Years' special 1977) *"Phantom Island" (Shonen Magazine, Kodansha, 1978 #2) Monthly Shonen Manga (Asahi Sonorama, 1977-1979) Ishinomori began another long arc, titled The Underwater Pyramid. However, it experienced a brief hiatus through the November to December 1978 issues. Weekly Shonen Sunday (Shogakukan, 1979-1981) The Neo Black Ghost arc commenced, to tie into the recently-released 1979 anime. Taking place at least two decades after the cyborgs first met, the team members experienced a maturation in their characterization and outlook. This run also included several short stories focusing on each team member and their struggles. Shortly before this, Ishinomori wrote a story focused on "The Earl of Saint-Germain". Shonen Big Comic (Shogakukan, 1979-1980) Other short stories ran in a simultaneous serialization in this magazine, providing more focus on the invidual team members. SF Animedia (Gakken, 1985-1986) Ishinomori briefly resumed the manga's serialization with The People Drifting Through Time and Space, revisiting the Immigration story. The Earl of Saint-German reappeared in the arc, but with a modified appearance. Sankei Shimbun (New Years 1992) After the previous serialization, Ishinomori wrote one last one-shot titled Emergency Simulation 1992. The manga was officially put on hiatus afterwards. Gallery Tokyopop cover.jpg|Cover of the Volume 1 Tokyopop print Digital_cover.png|Cover for the Comixology digital print External Links *http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%B5%E3%82%A4%E3%83%9C%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B0009 *http://www.comixology.com/Cyborg-009/comics-series/9119 Category:Comics/Manga